Traditional Liquid Chromatography (LC) delivery systems 30 typically utilize two rotary shear valves: a rotary shear diverter valve 31 and rotary shear selector valve 32, as shown in FIG. 1. The diverter valve 31 is switched to send LC flow into an analysis system such as a Mass Spectrometer source (an output device listed as “source” in FIG. 1) or waste, and allows the output from the selector valve 31 to feed into the analysis system. When the selector valve 31 is routing a liquid reagent (e.g., a calibrant) and a wash agent to the analysis system, via the diverter valve 32 (as shown in the position of FIG. 1), the diverter valve sends the LC steam to waste or capture; the two valves are synchronized to ensure minimal interruption of the LC flow. The two valves will be mated with a pump 33 dedicated to aspiration and dispense of the wash and calibrant liquids, and the distance between the components is minimized to reduce dispersion and waste.
Rotary shear valves, such as the rotary shear diverter valve 31 (FIGS. 2-4) and the rotary shear selector valve 31 (FIGS. 5-8) typically employ a stator device 34, 35 with ports and a rotor device 36, 37 with grooves which are compressed together for a fluid-tight seal, at a rotor-stator interface, and rotated relative one another for switching between the ports. For example, as best illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, a rotary shear diverter valve is shown that generally include the disk-shaped stator device 34 (FIG. 2) that includes face holes or ports 38 in a planar stator face 39 thereof the stator device, and the disk shaped rotor device 36 (FIG. 3) with circumferential rotor grooves 40 on a planar rotor face 41.
Simplistically described, the rotor face 41 is compressed against the planar stator face 39, forming the fluid-tight seal. The rotor device 36 is coupled to a drive shaft, which in turn, is coupled to a gear assembly positioned between a motor device and the drive shaft, both of which are not illustrated. Hence, when the drive shaft selectively rotates about its common central rotational axis 42, via the motor device, the rotor face 41 is rotated relative to the fixed stator face 39.
In turn, as shown in FIG. 4A which illustrates a rotor/stator interface where the rotor grooves 40 are superimposed over the ports 38 of the stator face, the grooves 40 connect different ports to one another, depending on the position of the valve. In a basic switching valve, selection may be limited to only two alternate paths that connect several inputs to a first or second output, depending on the valve state (FIGS. 4A and 4B).
FIGS. 5-8 show another type of micro-fluidic rotary shear valve (i.e., a selector valve) with the stator device 35 having an additional central port 43 formed in a stator face 44 thereof which is surrounded by a plurality of outer ports 45. With respect to the rotor device 37, a rotor face 46 thereof provides a radially extending groove 47. By rotating the rotor device 37 about the common central rotational axis 48, connection of the central port 43 to any number of radial ports 45 can be alternately made.
While these valves are reliable, efficient, and highly successful, they have limited switching options, restricting their application. Particularly limiting is the fact that in each position these valves connect ports in a one-to-one mapping. Accordingly, there is a need to provide single valve that has additional functionality, and specifically, there is a need for a valve that can selectively and optionally connect more than one input to a single output at a time.
Moreover, there is a need to enable combining the function of the rotary shear diverter valve and the selector valve into a single component rotor shear valve that reduces sub-system cost, minimizes system fluid path volume and overall component footprint, and allows simultaneous delivery of reagent and LC streams.